Dissemination of effective physical activity interventions: are we applying the evidence?

Abstract

To be effective, we must gain an understanding of contextual factors when designing for dissemination.

Factors influencing the adoption of a healthy eating campaign by federal cross-sector partners: a qualitative study

“…Furthermore, there appeared to be extremely positive attitudes towards the adoption of the EWC among organizations where there was extremely good staff compatibility. Successful partnerships and collaborations as well as capable staff have also been identified elsewhere as facilitators for adoption [30]. The favorable attitudes of respondents is similar to the finding of Olstad et al [31] where managerial receptivity for change was a facilitator for adoption of voluntary nutritional guidelines by recreational facilities.…”

“It’s a Feel. That’s What a Lot of Our Evidence Would Consist of ”: Public Health Practitioners’ Perspectives on Evidence

“…(b) How can this evidence best reach, inform, and serve public health staff in their planning, implementation, and evaluation of healthy living initiatives? Studies to address these issues must include practice-based trials (Jansson et al, 2010), natural experiments and case studies (Ballew et al, 2010) of initiatives unfolding in real time, in real places initiated by public health personnel (Rivera & Birnbaum, 2010) who collect feasible and relevant indicators that have meaning for their work. Because communities can often act faster than researchers, conducting process, impact and outcome evaluations of untested healthy living interventions can significantly influence the practice of public health (Hanusaik et al, 2010).…”

“…Finally, participants' comments about accessing and using evidence echoed recommendations in the literature to advance knowledge exchange (e.g., Ballew et al, 2010;Nutley et al, 2007;Rummery, 2009). One important criterion for the credibility of research is its fit with professional or practice knowledge-does the research validate existing practice?…”

“…The definition and use of evidence also varied depending on the type of community in which health authority staff were working confirming that context and capacity are significant factors influencing the implementation of evidence (Ballew et al, 2010). Recognizing that public programs are often designed ''on the basis of informed guesswork and expert hunches, enriched by some evidence and driven by political and other imperatives'' (Coote, Allen, & Woodhead, 2004, p. xi), such local reinvention or transition or transformation (Dankwa-Mullan et al, 2010) of knowledge has been referred to as ''tinkering'' that integrates locally collected data (Baker et al, 2009) and the ''explicit evidence from research with tacit or craft knowledge [to] create new knowledge as part of this process'' (Nutley et al, 2007, p. 116).…”

“…These definitions of ''evidence'' varied somewhat based on role of the interviewee: Frontline workers more often referred to community-level process information as key sources of evidence (versus academic or researchoriented types of information), and those working in tobacco reduction, particularly at the management level, had a very clear sense of the role of evidence for their work. However, managers also acknowledged the challenge with using strictly quantitative, academic-oriented evidence in community-based work that left them to ''fill the gaps in evidence'' (Jansson et al, 2010, p. 148), to create a blend of science and art (Ballew, Brownson, Haire-Joshu, Heath, & Kreuter, 2010) where ''anecdotes sometimes trump empirical data'' (Brownson et al, 2009, p. 177 In rural and remote areas, HA interviewees noted that evidence viewed as ''scientific'' was not always accurate and reflective of the population's needs, their health behaviors, or their health status. Therefore, there was an emphasis on establishing community-friendly means to collect information and indicators, relying on local knowledge and indigenous acumen to shed light on what works in individual communities:…”